Town offers school closure program tomorrow

Milton Canadian Champion

The Town of Milton is offering a solution for parents and guardians of children if elementary schools are closed tomorrow.

It’s offering a school closure program from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Milton Sports Centre on Santa Maria Boulevard to help parents and guardians who are struggling to make alternate plans for their children should public elementary school teachers protest for the day.

Halton District School Board (HDSB) announced yesterday it’s closing all of its elementary schools tomorrow as a result of a one-day walkout directed by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

However, Ontario Education Minister Laurel Broten has said the one-day political protest would be considered an illegal strike. The provincial government is seeking an injunction to stop the walk out.

The ETFO is at an Ontario Labour Relations Board hearing, which began at 1 p.m. today, to learn what actions will be taken against the union should its members walk off the job tomorrow.

If the protest goes ahead, it will affect approximately 40,000 students at 83 schools.

Parents interested in leaving their children in the care of the Town at the sports centre to participate is a variety of sports, games and crafts activities can do so at a cost of $40.02 per child. They also have the option of extending the care hours to an hour before the program begins and an hour after the program ends for an added cost.